The present invention relates to a novel and useful apparatus for baking pita bread dough.
Pocket bread, Syrian bread, Arabic bread, or pita bread are designations for a type of leavened bread which is generally baked in varying quantities. By way of illustration, the pita bread dough is formed into a flat disc approximately three to five millimeters in thickness. The pita bread dough must be cooked at a relatively high temperature, 300-450 degrees centigrade, in a relatively short time span, about one minute. The pocket is formed within the pita bread dough disc by steam that is produced and expanded internally. Thus, it is most important that the pita bread disc be cooked evenly from the top and the bottom. Failure to adhere from this criteria will produce a finished, baked, pita bread which possesses a thinner wall on one side than the other.
In the past, it has been found that home electric or gas ovens, which are commercially available, produce a poor pita bread product.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,823 which describes a radiant oven for baking loaves of bread in a continuous manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,956 shows a baking pan which is usable to produce hearth-baked texture in a pizza.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,166, 4,311,088, and 4,470,805 describe pita bread ovens of a continuous type which are unsuitable for home or personal use.
An apparatus for baking pita bread dough in a batch process would be a notable advance in the food preparation field.